The trail left behind by the bat drake and the noxa was easy enough to follow, but that had never been the issue. The true issue was the tension which permeated the air around them. They were marching towards one final brawl. A final clash for which the outcome had gone from guaranteed to utterly uncertain.
Amaro was not the only one on edge. He knew the others felt it too, even Deka. It was only a matter of time before those tracks ended and another ambush might thrust them into chaos all over again.
And yet, Amaro felt something deep inside him longing for that chaos. He didn’t know why, but he could not deny the thrill of a fight. His body had never forgotten the sensation, it had merely been starved of it for the past few years.
Although those noxa had been underhanded and thoroughly vile in their tactics, they had nearly beaten him. Remembering that only fed his hunger for more. The prospect of another close fight excited him to his core. He had become addicted to this by now. Rather, he was relapsing to the person he was before he experienced the pain and humiliation of true defeat at the hands of his father.
He wanted to win. He needed to win. Not only that, he needed to win against something which could defeat him. He remembered something else about that day. He remembered how he felt when he stood in opposition to his father. It was the same feeling he had right now. A feeling of anxiety and uncertainty for which the only cure was conflict. The release of all those inhibitions in the midst of a fight, replaced only by the violent meditation it provided to him.
He tried to forget what it felt like to fight seriously knowing he might lose. All to avoid the pain of losing. He wanted to fight Tadios. He wanted to fight Anitus again. Deka, Vilka, Arik, and anyone who was worthy of making him taste defeat again. He wanted to spill blood, and have his blood spilt. He had denied his soul its true meditation for too long.
“Your bloodlust is palpable, brother.” Anitus said, “I haven’t seen that look in your eyes for a few years now.”
“Is it that obvious?”
“Only to family like myself,” He replied, “But I assure you, you are not alone. It’s a shame that the only worthy opponent left might be a couple captains and Tadios himself. If you do not find yourself satisfied by the end of the night, then I hope you will indulge me in a true match by morning.”
“I will consider it.” Amaro paused, smiling, “Truly, this time I will.”
“That’s all I ask.” Anitus said, smiling back.
Their party arrived at a clearing in the forest. On the opposite side of which stood a uniform line of Tibur, blunted weapons in hand. Amaro had to wonder if he and Anitus had been violating rules by utilizing real weapons. Of course, there was also the possibility that the Tibur wanted to swing with full force without worrying about killing someone.
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At the center of their group stood Tadios and the two Tibur captains. A xio cloaked in black feathers that reminded him of The Crow he had fought a few months ago, and a rather cute looking xia wearing a collar of fur around her shoulders. Ice elementals rose from the ground, utilizing the nearby snow for their bodies.
Even without those elementals, they were outnumbered. Amaro reached to pat the handle of his katana, only to remember it was no longer in its sheath. He had gotten so used to having it on his hip. His eyes scanned the crowd, looking for that bat drake.
Whoever owned that drake was his true opponent. If not for stealing from him, but for teaching him a lesson about respecting others. As much as he liked to believe Tulos had created this situation on his own, there were elements of it which reeked of an outside influence.
Tulos was still a noble, and the Tibur were not ambush fighters. They were hunters who knew how to ambush, but when it came to war they had just as much honor as anyone else.
The sun had set a long time ago by now, leaving only the full moon to shed its pale light on them. Snow fluttered down from the heavens as the two sides tensed, awaiting the command of their superiors.
“Well, I must praise you all first.” Deka said, his arms spread open, “You’ve certainly made this war game interesting at the last possible moment, but regardless of how much you struggle, it ends tonight.”
Tadios stepped forward, the snowflakes melting long before it could touch his body, “Well you’re right about one thing, it ends tonight.”
Amaro noticed Kaara bouncing on her toes nearby. She had starry eyes and a joyous smile. It was good to see her in such high spirits after everything that happened.
“Your side did something I can’t forgive easily,” Tadios continued, “Something that takes this whole thing beyond bein’ just a game.”
Deka raised his eyebrow, “Oh? And I could say the same to you. Ambushing and utilizing love potions to get dishonorable victories.”
“I’ve seen what your side has been doin’ to people. The conditions of the others you’ve sent to Shiira. I don’t think I’ve seen a bloodier war game in my life. So, I made sure that me and mine were protected from that. Because I don’t think you truly understand what lies beyond these woods at night.”
“I am familiar with Malaki just as everyone is, and I fail to see how that’s relevant. The strong will always survive, and this war game is a good way to show who is strong and who isn’t.”
“So if I rip your legs off after cutting your horns, would that make you weak?”
Amaro watched Kaara’s excitement fade as Tadios unleashed his magic. It was easy to tell that Tadios was no longer playing a game.
“I hardly know what you’re insinuating.”
“Lucky for you, the one you’ve wronged has decided not to make a big deal of it. Despite that, it don't sit right with me.”
“Oh just go out and say it,” Anitus said, “That noxa ran crying about his wings, didn’t he?”
Amaro looked at his brother’s expression. He knew that look. The same one he got everytime he was trying to goad someone into fighting him.